A giant deep-sea creature steeped in doomsday folklore washed up dead on an Indonesian beach on Tuesday.
The ribbon-like fish, known as an oar and measuring over 4 meters in length, was discovered around 7.30am on Tuesday at Pink Beach along the south-eastern coast of Komodo Island.
Beachgoers lifted the carcass out of the sand and carried it inland, causing an uproar among the locals.
In Japanese folklore, oars are known as ‘doomsday fish’ and are believed to be messengers from the sea god’s palace.
Legend claims that one washing ashore can predict a fatal event earthquaketsunami or other catastrophe.
Sahlan, head of Telone Hamlet in Sekaroh Village, told local newspaper detikBali that the creature alarmed beachgoers due to its link with natural disasters.
There is no scientific evidence linking the oarfish to natural disasters, and maritime authorities have dismissed the omen as a myth.
However, some researchers have suggested that environmental factors surrounding its appearance warrant further investigation.
The ribbon-like fish, known as an oar and measuring over 4 meters in length, was discovered around 7.30am on Tuesday at Pink Beach along the south-eastern coast of Komodo Island.
Sahlan told detikBali that a group of children and an adult man carried the fish off the beach on Tuesday.
‘It was discovered this morning. It wasn’t one of our residents who found it, but rather an outsider who had been camping since last night, a visitor,” Sahlan explained.
The oarfish’s appearance quickly sparked ominous claims online that it was a warning of an impending natural disaster or other catastrophe.
But Sahlan insisted residents along the coast remained calm despite the frenzy.
“Although it has gone viral and all kinds of things are being said, God willing, none of our residents are panicking. The situation here is calm,” Sahlan added.
The oarfish legend dates back to at least the 17th century in Japan, and its rare appearances were interpreted as warnings from mythical gods.
An example, in modern times, mentioned the appearance of nearly two dozen Doomsday fish washing ashore just months before the magnitude 9.1 mega-earthquake near Japan’s Tōhoku region in 2011.
The historic earthquake caused a massive tsunami that killed almost 20,000 people.
A group of children and an adult man carried the fish off the beach on Tuesday
The oarfish’s appearance quickly sparked ominous claims online that it was a warning of an impending natural disaster or other catastrophe
Other examples include sightings of oars before a 2017 earthquake in the Philippines and smaller events in Tasmania, India and California in recent years.
A pair of American tourists came across an oar while vacationing in Mexico in February.
Monica Pittenger and her sister Katie were on a beach in Cabo San Lucas when they saw two huge oars washed up, much to the horror of everyone in the area.
Monica told the YouTube channel We Love Animals: ‘It looked like a fictional film. I’d never seen anything like it before.’
The woman and her sister were relaxing at the popular vacation spot when they saw something strange flashing in the shallow waves from a distance.
As they got closer, Monica said they realized it was a huge, alien creature. Then they saw a second one nearby, struggling like the first.
The two enormous oarfish both had long, silvery, ribbon-like bodies with a billowing red sail along their backs. Although neither appeared to be seriously injured, they were clearly in distress and desperately trying to get back into deeper water.
Tourists in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, witnessed two oars washing ashore in late February 2026, sparking folklore fears that disaster was coming
“My sister, she just can’t tolerate anything when she’s in pain. She throws me her phone, her drink and her bag. She says, “Wait a minute,” and she just dives in. I think a lot of people were very hesitant because no one really knew what it was,” Monica said in a March 4 interview.
The Prosper, Texas resident continued to film as Katie and others gently pushed the first oarfish back into the ocean as it continued to gasp for water.
Beachgoers then helped the second stranded Doomsday fish back into the water, where they both began swimming again and quickly disappeared.
The giant creatures were taller than the five people seen on video, standing shoulder to shoulder, and helped return them to the ocean. It was also almost two feet tall, which is typical of a normal oarfish.
An adult oarfish can grow to about 36 feet in length and weigh almost 600 pounds.
“When we realized how rare it was, it was a pretty cool experience, but very surreal. From what we researched, seeing two was a billion to one chance,” Pittenger explained.
Normally, Doomsday fish only wash up on beaches when they are sick, injured or dying, making the latest sighting a true mystery.
